Valerie A. Martínez, PhD
Associate Professor of History
First-Second Year Experience Coordinator
Main Building, Room 202D
210-528-7061
vamartinez@ollusa.edu
Areas of Expertise
I specialize in 20th Century Mexican American history, U.S. Military and Labor History, and Women’s and Gender Studies. My National Endowment for the Humanities-funded project, Embajadoras: Latina Servicewomen and Hemispheric Politics during World War II, reconceptualizes traditional notions of diplomacy and international actors by investigating how the recruitment and service of Latina women in the Benito Juárez Squadron during World War II embodied the Pan-American ideal of an imagined hemispheric system of unity and reciprocity in the Americas. Embajadoras examines this pivotal moment of increased economic independence and surveillance of women and Mexican American Civil Rights and argues that while male leaders utilized the women's bodies and military participation to further their diplomatic and social justice goals, Latina servicewomen defined a gendered civil rights project that included the legal rights afforded to all U.S citizens as well as full ownership over their highly policed lives, bodies, and sexuality.
Teaching Philosophy
I am a Public/Digital/Oral Historian that utilizes an Antiracist, Chicana Feminist lens and praxis in my scholarship, curriculum, and pedagogy to decolonize and disrupt predominant narratives and structures of power. As an activist-scholar and educator, I believe it is my responsibility to instruct the pragmatic uses of historical investigation to teach and sharpen critical thinking skills within students. In addition, my research critically informs my pedagogical approach: the desire to personalize and actively engage with history by documenting, collaborating with, and disseminating the experience of diverse communities and individuals. Through an empathetic appreciation of lived experiences, my hope is that students will leave the classroom as equity-centered, compassionate leaders that respect human dignity in an increasingly globalized society.
Outside Interests
During my free time, I enjoy assisting my husband coach our daughter’s volleyball and son’s basketball teams and spending time with my family back in Lubbock and the DFW areas. I also can’t get enough of Texas BBQ, really good gorditas, and any fruit covered in chamoy! I also LOVE advocating for and developing Ethnic Studies curriculum within prek-12 education in Texas.
Certifications
- National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies Tejas Foco, prek-12 Committee Chair
- Ethnic Studies Network of Texas, Core Member
- Ethnic Studies for Texas Schools Coalition, Founding Member
- Western History Association, Affiliate
- Mexican American Studies, Certificate
- Women’s and Gender Studies, Certificate
Awards
NATIONAL
- National Endowment for the Humanities – Faculty Awards at Hispanic-Serving Institutions for “Embajadoras: Latina Servicewomen and Hemispheric Politics during World War II,” Washington, D.C., 2021-2022 (completed Dec. 31, 2022)
- National Endowment for the Humanities – Humanities Initiatives at Hispanic-Serving Institutions for “Military City, USA: An Oral History Project Dedicated to Women and War,” Co-Director, Washington, D.C., 2019 – 2022
REGIONAL
- Humanities Texas, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, Mini-Grant, Austin, Texas, 2021
- NACCS-Tejas Dissertation Award for “outstanding dissertation that best represents a significant topic related to the Mexican American experience in Texas,” National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies Tejas Foco, 2017
- Catarino and Evangelina Hernández Research Fellowship in Latino History, Texas State Historical Association, Austin, Texas, 2017
- John H. Jenkins Research Fellowship in Texas History, Texas State Historical Association, Austin, Texas, 2017
- Ellen Clarke Temple Research Fellowship in Texas Women’s History, Texas State Historical Association, Austin, Texas, 2017
LOCAL
- Hearst Research and Professional Development Grant, Our Lady of the Lake University, San Antonio, Texas, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023
- Flashman Foundation Mini Grant for Student Projects, Our Lady of the Lake University, San Antonio, Texas, 2018, 2023
- Funtastic 5-Year Service Award, Our Lady of the Lake University, San Antonio, Texas, 2023
- Stell-Ball Award, Our Lady of the Lake University, San Antonio, Texas, 2022
- Moody Professorship, Our Lady of the Lake University, San Antonio, Texas, 2021-2022
- La Cosecha SEED grant, Center for Mexican American Studies and Research, Our Lady of the Lake University, San Antonio, Texas, 2018
Education
- PhD - History, University of Texas at Austin
- Master of Arts - History, Texas Tech University
- Bachelor of Arts - History; Spanish minor, Texas Tech University